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Simpler offense under Treon Harris means more production for Gators
By Drew Laing
Published:
When teams are put in the position of starting a young quarterback, especially a true freshman, often it restricts the offense, but sometimes that’s not always the case.
The Florida Gators found themselves in that situation just halfway through the season. Redshirt junior quarterback Jeff Driskel struggled to find any sort of rhythm through six games, throwing six touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a completion percentage just north of 50 percent.
Enter in true freshman Treon Harris.
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The 5-foot-11, 178-pound signal caller got his first start just two weeks ago in arguably the Gators’ most important game of the season — The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party against Georgia.
During his time as a starter, the Gators have scored 72 points, which is more points than what the team scored in their last four SEC games combined. The offense has put up more than 850 yards of offense in Harris’ two starts and the team looks much more energized and confident since Harris became the full-time start.
So what gives?
Aside from the emotional lift Harris brought the team, his new role has forced the offense to simplify things. And in turn, a simpler offense has proved more effective.
With a young quarterback like Harris, the mindset is always to not turn the ball over. And that’s what the Gators have implemented for Harris.
“The whole thought process is to not turn it over,” offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said before the Georgia game. “I think he’s got a really good understanding of what our base is. And what I’ve been saying all along is it’s really not that complicated once you get the grasp of the overall scheme.”
Florida ended up beating No. 11 ranked Georgia two weeks ago, 38-20. Frankly, it wasn’t even close and the Gators kept it simple offensively — running an astounding 60 times and throwing just six passes. But it worked as Florida racked up 418 yards on the ground, the second-most in school history against an SEC opponent.
One week later at Vanderbilt, the mindset was the same, although the offense was forced to adjust to the Commodores’ strategy. After seeing Florida’s success on the ground against Georgia, the ‘Dores constantly had six or seven guys in the box to defend the run. Harris and the Gators’ offense adjusted and kept the defense honest by completing a few deep passes downfield.
The balanced attacked resulted in 214 rushing yards and 215 passing yards. Most importantly, Harris avoided turnovers and Florida won 34-10.
Since Harris has started, the Gators have turned the ball over just one time — a far cry from the 15 turnovers in their four games prior to the quarterback switch.
“Taking care of the football,” Muschamp said on Monday, “it enhances our opportunity to win the football game. That’s what our offense has done the last two weeks.”
RELATED: Muschamp makes wise decision in starting Harris at quarterback
With Harris under center, the Gators’ offensive strategy isn’t a secret. They’re simply going to keep things simple, run the football and allow Harris to make plays based off what the defense is giving him.
The Florida Gators offense — simple but effective.
“He’s a guy that’s overly coachable,” Muschamp said of Harris after Florida’s win over Vanderbilt. “He continues to work hard. The game comes easy to him. He’ll continue to get better and continue to improve. We’ve got all the confidence in the world in him moving forward.”
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.